I am not Stupid
by kimbee73
Summary: Young teacher, Zack Johnson, gets an awakening to the world of magic when a young Harry Potter unexpectedly appears in his apartment. Will Zack know what to do or will he need help from some friends from Caltech?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay so this story is very far away from what I normally write. This is a crossover between Harry Potter and BBT. The main characters will be Harry and Zack with appearances by Penny, Sheldon, Leonard and Amy, possibly the others but I have not decided. It takes place during season 7, around the time of Itchy Brain. I know this is not a favorite among viewers but it works for the purposes of this story. Zack knows the wedding to Penny was real. I have not yet decided who will end up with who yet but it may end up with Zack and Penny. Again it has not been decided. I know one pairing that will not happen and that is Shenny so to my fellow Shamies this is safe.**

 **This story was originally written by percyjacksonfan135 who has decided to give up writing the story. She has happily turned the reigns over to me and given me full permission to finish it as I wish. I had so much fun writing it with her I took her up on the offer.**

 **As always with all my stories I own nothing BBT related and in this case I own nothing Harry Potter related either.**

November, 2013:

Nine-year-old Harry James Potter was lying in his cupboard under the stairs. He was starving. He had barely eaten a few morsels this evening. His cousin always took his portion. Harry tried to get to the table first for this very reason. Dudley was sure to take everything for himself. His aunt and uncle never said a word about it. They just didn't care enough about Harry. Now they were fast asleep, but Harry didn't dare get anything to eat just yet. He never showed it, but he was terrified of his relatives. He had to be sure they were asleep for a long time. He would then sneak out and grab some leftovers. His aunt and uncle never seemed to notice that there was less food. They thought Dudley ate it so they never bothered to yell. If they found out it was Harry, he would be in big trouble.

Harry was very sore this evening so he didn't feel much like eating anyway. He usually did all the chores around the house, but today, he wasn't fast enough so his uncle Vernon decided to teach him a lesson. That was why his back was sore. He was very stiff and it was extremely cramped in the cupboard where he slept. Harry was always in the cupboard, he was very rarely allowed to be out. He thought he deserved it. His aunt and uncle never led him believe otherwise. They called him a freak just because strange things would happen around him. He couldn't help any of it. He just wanted things to be normal but they never seemed to be when he was alone or afraid. He wished there was someone out there that could help him. He had been told by his aunt that there was no one and he was stuck with them just like they were stuck with him. It was all because his no good father (that is what Aunt Petunia would say) got himself hit by that car. If they hadn't been killed, Petunia would have a better life and not be stuck with the freak of a son her weird sister had left her. She would always say if there was any other place she could send him she would but no one would take him. There was no other family as her parents were in hiding. Harry asked on several occasions why but Aunt Petunia just told him to mind his business and would give him more chores to do. He never asked about his father's parents.

Harry had lived at Number 4 Privet Drive since he was one. But no one would ever know he lived there. There were no pictures of him. He was never allowed to have any taken of him because Vernon and Petunia did not want anyone to know Harry was related to them. Harry attended the same school as his cousin Dudley. He had no escape from his family even there. He had no friends because Dudley was a bully. And he would get no help from anyone because of this. One day when one of Dudley's friends was being particularly nasty to Harry, a young girl stepped up to defend him. A couple of days later a few other girls whom were friends with Dudley, pushed her around. She never came to his rescue again but sat in silence while the kids pushed him around. The teachers were no help either. Anytime a teacher would call Vernon or Petunia about Dudley's behaviors, they would find themselves on the receiving end of a write-up. Simply no one could fight the Dursleys. When Harry was around seven, strange things started happening to him, things he couldn't control. When Vernon and Petunia realized what was happening to him, they reigned him in even more. They would beat him if they would get a call. When he was running away from some of the bullies at school, he somehow ended up on the roof and tried to tell the teacher the wind must have blown him when he jumped. He begged her not to call the Dursley's but she did anyway and Harry was locked in his cabinet for two weeks.

One another day, Harry had accidently let a snake escape from its enclosure at the zoo. He was there for Dudley's birthday, something his aunt and uncle always tried to avoid because of his odd behaviors. But because his normal sitter was sick and could not watch him, they had no choice but to take him with them. Dudley was not happy and was afraid Harry would ruin his birthday. It turned out that he did as Dudley ended up trapped in the enclosure with the other snakes. Luckily nothing happened to him but it still traumatized him and earned Harry the worst punishment of his life. He was beaten and then thrown into the cupboard. Uncle Vernon said he would not be allowed out until school started again. School was still two months away as the summer holiday had just started. It had been two weeks since that incident and Vernon was letting Harry out for meals and chores but that was it. He was not allowed to go outside at all. As Harry was falling asleep thinking about how his life could be so much different, a strange thing was happening thousands of miles away.

In Pasadena, Ca. Zack Johnson suddenly had the strangest feeling that something was wrong. He had been having these types of feelings for most of his life and he was almost never wrong. He didn't know why he would get like this but it was almost like he was given a gift. His mother used to tell him that he was special. But she also wanted him to hide his gift from others. She didn't want him to be an outcast like she had been because of her lack of talent. He didn't have the same gifts that her family members had but he had something. She wasn't even sure what it was but she knew it wasn't common. She only ever told her uncle about him and his special talent.

Zack Johnson was a middle school English teacher. A lot of people who didn't know him thought he was a little on the stupid side, when in reality, he was a lot sharper and understood more than people gave him credit for. He had hidden his smarts from almost everyone. It was something that helped him cope throughout school. He got good enough grades to go to college and become a teacher but he could have been so much more. He probably wouldn't have turned out to be a scientist like his wife's friends were but he may have had more of an understanding of the topic. He always enjoyed learning from them even if they did make fun of him. If he had shown his true side, they may not have let him in because he was just not quite smart enough. Zack knew compassion and love. It was that, which allowed Zack to realize what was going on thousands of miles away on an entirely different continent. It was as though this particular feeling was trying to tell him something. It was then that Zack realized that whatever this feeling was, it was not a good one. It nagged at him as he graded papers and tests for his students and it nagged at him now, especially as he thought about the reasons he married Penny.

When Zack and Penny went to that chapel in Las Vegas they didn't realize at first that the wedding was real. As he thought about it more and more, the young man realized that he made a terrible mistake in not going with her when she went back to her apartment on Los Robles. As many times as he tried to tell her they were married, she just never believed. It genuinely hurt him to realize that his own wife didn't think that the cheesy, chapel wedding was real. He genuinely loved her and he wanted her to be happy, but he also greatly regretted not going along with her. As his thoughts grew more and more somber, something like a magnetic pole came stronger and stronger until the young man suddenly felt that a small weight had been deposited into his arms.

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I can tell you the chapters will be updated regularly as 11 have already been written. I am just polishing them up to make the story my own.**

 **If you liked it please review.**

 **I am okay if this is not your cup of tea. I can tell you all, I will not be stopping this story because of someone's love or hate of a character. This is why we call this fanfiction.**

 **Thanks**

 **kimbee73**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to those who have followed this story. I really would love the feedback so if you are so inclined to drop me a review I would love it. But I appreciate the follows as well.**

 **Okay on with the story. Like I said this is very different then anything I have ever written before so bear with me if I get details wrong. I have changed quite a bit with this chapter but the next should be similar to what was originally written. I apologize for the delay but I had an annual review at work and it took up quite a bit of my time. The next chapter has already begun to be edited so hopefully by the weekend.**

 **I don't own BBT or Harry Potter:**

 _As his thoughts grew more and more somber, something like a magnetic pole came stronger and stronger until the young man suddenly felt that a small weight had been deposited into his arms._

Zack was very surprised at the turn of events. He had had these feelings of dread before. His mother told him it was called Innistrad syndrome. The feelings were very real and something usually was happening. Zack didn't always find out what it was until days later but things did happen. The last time was right after his wedding with Penny when he had a feeling she would leave him. He was right but it wasn't because of a divorce. She didn't believe him when he told her it was real. He remembered the day well.

 _November 2010:_

" _I now pronounce you husband and wife." The Elvis impersonator had said._

 _"I can't believe I just married you." Zack said to her. "I love you Penny."_

 _"Yeah yeah me too." Penny had said, her speech slurred from all the margaritas she had been drinking. In her heart she knew she liked Zack but he was so stupid. She wasn't in love with him and she knew he was just a rebound from Leonard. After seeing him so easily seduced by that physicist friend of Sheldon's, just weeks after they broke up, she picked the first guy she met and did the same thing. Unfortunately that guy was Zack. She didn't want to hurt his feelings which is why when he asked her out again around the holidays she agreed to go. Leonard had gone back to New Jersey for Thanksgiving and Sheldon was spending time with his girlfriend or whatever she was. Raj and Howard were having dinner with Mrs. Wolowitz and she had no intentions of going there again so she said yes to him. Vegas had been fun. When Zack suggested they go to the small chapel she was too drunk to realize what it was._

 _They kissed and the witnesses clapped. Penny just wanted to get out of there. Zack thought it was because she was ready for the honeymoon. He rushed her out and took her to the best hotel on the strip. When he opened the room, she ran past him so fast and into the bathroom. He heard the unmistakable sounds of her throwing up from the door. He ran in to see if he could be of any help and found she had passed out on the floor. He lifted her up and laid her on the bed. The next morning was a blur to her but she said she felt fine and Zack proceeded to make sure the marriage had been consummated._

 _When he drove her home that night, he expected her to invite him to stay with her at her apartment but she got out of the car and when he got out to follow her, she asked what he was doing. He said he figured he would stay the rest of the weekend and then they could either move to his place or he could move in with her._

 _"Move in together? We have only been back together for a week!" Penny exclaimed._

 _"Well we just got married. Most married couples live together." Zack told her._

 _"We are not married." Penny denied._

 _"I beg to differ." Zack said. "You said yes to that chapel and we said 'I do'."_

 _"You mean I didn't dream that?" Penny asked._

 _"No. We got married last night." Zack said._

 _"No we didn't." Penny denied yet again._

 _"Penny I have no reason to lie to you. We got married last night in Las Vegas." He said. "So now are you coming to my place or am I staying here?" He asked._

 _"Well you aren't staying here. Listen this is too much to process right now. Why don't you come into the restaurant on Monday instead of your dad and we can talk more."_

 _"I have to work on Monday." Zack told her._

 _"I know but you can change routes with your dad." She told him._

 _"No I don't think you understand. I have a job." He said._

 _"Zack I know. Remember? That is how we met." She was getting impatient. Why did she always date such stupid guys?_

 _"Penny I don't work for my dad. I am a teacher." He told her, finally._

 _"Since when?" Penny laughed._

 _"September." Zack said._

 _"No you're not." Penny said._

 _"I am. When we met in May, I had just finished getting my degree."_

 _"But you were so stupid. You kept telling everyone that you invented the word appe-teasers." She remembered._

 _"I never said anything like that." He denied. He remembered her on that date for the surprise party. "That isn't even a word."_

 _"You thought my friends were going to blow up the moon." Penny said again._

 _"I was trying to be funny but apparently they don't have a sense of humor."_

 _"You acted so stupid that night."_

 _"I made some mistakes but I didn't act stupid."_

 _"I slept with Leonard that night." Penny said._

 _"You did?" Zack asked. She was always comparing him to that guy. He knew she still loved him and was grateful that she had ended things. When she called again a week previous, he thought maybe she had finally gotten over Leonard and had a change of heart about him._

 _"I did. I told him that before dating him I would never have seen how stupid you were."_

 _"But Penny I am not stupid."_

 _"You thought they were going to blow up the moon. You said you invented the word appe-teaser."_

 _"Penny I hate to say this but that was you with that word. You were pretty drunk that night."_

 _"Because you were so stupid!"_

 _"But I am not stupid! I am an 8_ _th_ _grade middle school English teacher. I have my bachelor's degree and I am getting my master's. I may never be as smart as your friends but I am smart."_

 _"This is too much for me right now. I will call you in the morning and we will talk about this." Penny slammed the car door and ran into her apartment before Zack could follow her._

Zack had attempted to call her on many occasions after that night but she refused to believe him that they were married. He figured he should just have the whole thing annulled and be done with her but he loved her and he didn't want it to end.

He was brought back to life as the young boy in his lap started crying. He looked down at the boy and saw a very small and skinny child. The small boy had very unruly hair that was jet black and his eyes were a bright, emerald green. He was very, very scared. He discovered a pair of round rimmed glasses that looked to be broken lying next to him. They must have fallen off when he landed. Zack picked them up and saw they were broken.

"It seems they must have broken when you came here." Zack said. "I am sorry about that." As he handed them back to him.

"Already broken." The young boy whimpered out.

Zack lifted his hands to help the boy with his glasses and the boy flinched. Zack was nervous. He had seen this countless times before. This was a sure sign of abuse. Zack remembered a young man that came in to his class with a bruises up and down his arms. He said he got into a fight with his brother but the brother showed no signs of a fight. When Zack approached the young man he flinched like Zack was going to hit him. Zack asked who had done this to him and he finally relented and said his mother had since he hadn't finished his homework before she got home from work. Another young man was being abused verbally by his father. Every time Zack would raise his voice to speak over his students the young man cowered. He could tell he had experienced loud yelling before.

Zack set Harry down on his couch gently. Harry scurried to the other side as Zack sat down himself. Zack knew this boy had been through hell. He knew he had to take it slow with him. But he also knew he had to figure out who this child was and where he had come from.

"Hi." He said slowly, looking the young boy directly in the eyes.

The young boy stared at Zack. He was clearly frightened. He cowered close to the side of the couch.

"What is your name?" Zack tried, but the boy just started crying again.

"No Unca Vernon, I did not leave the cupboard. I am still here." He started screaming. "I don't know how the glass disappeared. It was like magic."

Zack stopped in his tracks. The boy had said something about a glass disappearing and magic.

"What glass?" Zack asked.

"At the zoo." The boy answered. "The glass just disappeared. I didn't mean for Dudley to fall in or the snake to get out."

"What snake?" Zack asked again, clearly alarmed.

"The one at the zoo." He answered. "One minute the glass was there the next it was gone. I didn't do it. I swear. Don't lock me in the cupboard Unca Vernon. I will be good." He started crying. Zack could clearly see that this boy had no idea who he was talking to. He had to call for help. He decided to call the one person who might just listen to him. He wasn't sure as she had recently told him she was back with Leonard and that they were 100% done. And she had been ignoring his calls for the last few weeks. He had no other choice but to try. She was the one person beside his uncle and sister that knew his secret.

He picked up the phone and prayed that she would answer. He could tell immediately when she answered that she was not happy.

"I am only answering this because you will continue to call me if I don't. Now Zack what do you want?" Penny said, practically screaming in the phone.

"Hey babe. I have a problem and I think you are the only one who can help me." He said to her.

 **So the syndrome written in here is completely made up. I used a card from Magic the Gathering called feeling of dread from the Innistrad set.**

 **My son is very into the game and I thought the card was funny so I used it for my story. Sorry if I confused anyone.**

 **Okay leave a review if you liked it. thanks**!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you once again for the lovely reviews, favorites and follows. I am going to keep reiterate this again to the readers. This is a crossover with Harry Potter and Big Bang Theory. I have not yet decided if Zack and Penny will end up together or not. There may be some rough patches for Shamy but they will remain a couple. They are just not the feature of this story. It is mostly about Harry and Zack. However this chapter will bring Penny and Sheldon into the mess. Remember Itchy Brain? Well that story is the beginning part of this chapter.**

 **As always I own nothing BBT or Harry Potter related. I just like to take them out to play.**

At the same time the young boy landed in Zack's lap, Leonard and Sheldon were having a disagreement. Sheldon had been looking for some tickets from an arcade because he finally had decided what prize he wanted to get. Leonard realized that he never returned a DVD, since it was still in the box from seven years prior. It had been on Sheldon's card. He was trying to make sure Sheldon remained calm. Penny was sitting on the couch listening to the whole conversation.

"You promise me you're going to stay calm?" Leonard asked again. He couldn't believe Sheldon was being so reasonable. Sheldon was not upset that the DVD had not been returned.

"I said I would." Sheldon said yet again. He had a plan for that sweater and he knew his plan for revenge would finally take place.

Leonard looked over at Penny. "How about that? Sheldon's being reasonable."

"Yeah, it's freaking me out. I'm gonna go." Penny said. She was so glad to get out of that apartment. She was so tired of Leonard and his need for reassurance over everything. Sheldon being reasonable, while a little freaky, wasn't that crazy. Amy had made him a better, softer person. She knew he didn't see it yet but he would eventually if she let him. She seemed to push a lot. Just as she was opening the door to her apartment, her phone rang. She looked at the caller id and rolled her eyes. He had been calling quite often recently. She had tried telling him that she was with Leonard now but he insisted he was in love with her and since they were married she was technically cheating on him. She recently begun just ignoring the phone calls but something was telling her to answer it this time.

"I am only answering this because you will continue to call me if I don't. Now Zack what do you want?" Penny said, practically screaming in the phone.

"Hey babe. I have a problem and I think you are the only one who can help me." He said to her.

"What's that?" She asked. Penny felt that Zack had something important to tell her. She didn't know what it was but he sounded a bit upset. She wasn't sure she could help but she could at least listen to him.

"Well remember when I told you that I could sense things in people?" He asked.

"Yeah I remember. I also remember when you told me that you invented 'app a teasers'." Penny said.

"That is what you thought I said but again you were the one saying that silly word." Zack said.

"Okay okay I know I was drunk that night but you still were kind of stupid with my friends."

"Yes I was but I wasn't an idiot. I am not nearly as smart as them and I remember when they were making fun of me about the starfish and such. I may have been a tad ignorant about science but we were good after a while. I actually really like your friends. I just wish you would have me over more."

"Why would I have you over?" Penny asked.

"Well for one you are my wife." He answered.

"Okay for the last time, we are not married."

"But it was real." He told her.

"Okay maybe it was but that doesn't mean we are married." Penny said.

"And you call me stupid?" Zack was really concerned with Penny.

"I am going to ignore that insult. What do need my help with?" She asked.

"Well last night I was grading papers and I got that feeling, you know the one, where I feel something isn't right but I don't know what or why."

"Yes you had that feeling about Leonard when he was dating Priya. You told me that she was going to do something bad to Sheldon. I didn't believe you until she tore apart the roommate agreement he has with Sheldon. That was when I believed you." Penny told him.

"So why don't you believe me when I tell you we are married?" He asked.

"Stop saying we are married!" Penny yelled. At that exact moment Sheldon had walked into Penny's apartment to tell her of his plan.

"Who are you married to?" He asked and she jumped.

"Sheldon! You always knock! Why didn't you this time?" She asked. He never ever just walked into her apartment, especially after that time he broke in and cleaned for her.

"You left the door wide open." He told her pointing to the door. I was going to knock on it but I overheard your conversation. Now who are you married?" He asked again.

"Babe? What's going on?" He asked.

"Hold on a minute Zack." She said.

"Oh please don't tell me you married that idiot you used to date. What will Leonard say?" Sheldon asked.

"Listen, Sheldon I am not married to Zack." Penny said, she put her hand over the phone so she could talk without Zack hearing. "He thinks we are because we went to one of those cheesy wedding chapels when we were in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving a few years ago. I am humoring him right now because he says he needs my help."

"You didn't?" He asked, shocked.

"Yeah but they aren't real." Penny told him. "I mean we got married by an Elvis impersonator."

"Penny, two years ago when Bernadette and Howard were trying to find a place to get married, you suggested Las Vegas. How could you have done that if you thought those weddings were fake?" He asked her.

"You mean they are real?" She asked. Her hand had slipped off the receiver.

"I told you." Zack told her over the phone.

"Zack not now!" She said in a panic.

"So what does he want?" Sheldon asked her.

"I don't know he was just getting to that when you interrupted us." Penny said.

"Put him on speaker phone, maybe he can help too." Zack said to her.

"Are you sure you want him to know about this?" Penny asked.

"Do you think he can keep the secret?" Zack asked.

"He isn't good at keeping secrets." Penny told him.

"I am if you tell me ahead of time not to say anything. Unlike the rest of this group, I don't spread rumors." Sheldon said, indignantly.

"So are you telling me you did not tell Leonard that Bernadette was thinking about breaking up with Howard?" She pointed out to him.

"Okay I slipped once. But if it is something that I don't care about then I can do it. And I can't imagine that whatever Zack is about to say will be of any interest to me."

"Okay so I can tell him then?" Zack asked, acting as if he was not just insulted.

Penny rolled her eyes at Sheldon. "I suppose you can."

"Alright then. So Penny already knows this but I kind of have this power where I can tell what people are feeling."

"Are you an empath?"

"No not really. I can't read peoples' feelings. I get these feelings of dread. My mother had a name for it. She called it Innistrad syndrome. When I feel something bad may happen it usually does. But I don't read emotions."

"Okay so what is the problem?" Sheldon asked.

"You believe him?" Penny asked.

"I am not sure but I want to hear the rest." Sheldon said.

"Yes well anyway, I was grading papers last night and I got this feeling in my gut. I can't tell you why it happened or….." Zack was saying when Sheldon interrupted.

"What do you mean grading papers?" Sheldon asked.

"He is a middle school English teacher, not in the menu business." Penny told him.

"Oh. Well we will get back to that. Go on." Sheldon said, trying to figure out why he would have lied about that but he would figure that out later.

"Anyway as I was saying, I had this feeling and all of a sudden this little boy appeared on my lap." Zack finished.

"What do you mean appeared?" Sheldon asked.

"What I mean is I was thinking that something wasn't right somewhere and then this little boy just appeared sitting on my lap. I don't know how much clearer I could have been."

"You mean he knocked on your door?" Penny asked.

"No I mean appeared in my apartment sitting on my lap. Almost like magic." Zack told her. He knew it was magic but he hadn't told Penny about everything in his life.

"Magic doesn't exist." Penny said.

"But psychics are real?" Sheldon asked.

"Shut up." Penny told him.

"So what do you think I should do?" Zack asked.

"Well for one, do you know the child?" Sheldon asked.

"No, and I don't think he is from around here either." Zack said.

"What makes you say that?" Sheldon asked.

"He has a British accent."

"Oh well maybe he is here on vacation with his family." Sheldon said.

"I don't think so. He hasn't told me his name. He keeps mumbling about an aunt and an uncle."

"Have you asked him his name?" Penny asked.

"He seems to be in shock. I am not sure he is even hearing me when I speak to him."

"That makes sense. Listen Zack, I think I may owe you an apology. I assumed you were stupid and you seem to have a really good head on your shoulders with this. But let me give you some advice, call the authorities. But if you would like, Penny and I could come over and help you." Sheldon said.

"Could you?" He asked.

"Yes I believe we could." Sheldon said, even though Penny was waving her hands at him.

"Oh thank you so much." Zack said.

"No problem. We will be over in a little while." Sheldon said. "Goodbye Zack."

"See you soon."

After they hung up the phone, Penny turned on Sheldon. "Why did you tell him we would come over?"

"Well he seemed as if he really needed help and you are his wife." Sheldon said.

"I am not his wife!" Penny shouted.

"Well technically you are but let's not argue about that. I think we should go over and see what happened. I am not sure what's going on but he is genuinely concerned about this child so we should help. It is the right thing to do." Sheldon said.

"I suppose you are right." Penny said. "So what should we tell Leonard?"

"Don't worry about that right now. Let's go." Sheldon said. They walked out of the apartment and headed to Zack's place.

 **Please leave a review if you liked it. Chapter 4 will be up soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and new followers. I would love to hear from each of you about what you think.**

 **Okay so this chapter is going into BBT territory. This will be a very good conversation between Sheldon and Penny and once again, I am not making this a Shenny story so just because Sheldon asks Penny for advice does not mean he will end up with her. He is for Amy only.**

After the phone call with Penny, Zack checked the time. It was still early for a Sunday and he had off this particular week for the Thanksgiving holiday. He was grateful for that since he had no idea what he was going to do with this child. He wanted to wait for Penny and Sheldon to arrive before he would call the authorities. He decided he would let them know about his family a bit more since he had spilled out that it was almost like magic when the boy just appeared out of nowhere. He remembered his mother talking about how her parents could just twist their bodies and disappear. They would then reappear in another part of town. She called it apparating. He was positive that this is what the boy did even if he didn't mean to do it.

He had walked out of the room when speaking with Penny and Sheldon so when he returned he found the boy asleep on his couch. It was probably for the best. He seemed so scared. He sat down on a chair next to the couch and just observed him as he slept. He noticed a scar on the boy's forehead that was in the shape of a lightning bolt. He wondered how the boy would have gotten something like that and why it had such a unique shape. He hoped it was not from the abuse that he clearly was suffering from at home. He could just tell that this boy was in a terrible position. He hoped his friends arrived soon.

Sheldon was yet again pointing out that Penny's check engine light was on and as usual, Penny ignored him. Penny usually could ignore his quirks even if they were annoying. They were like that with each other. He was like the older brother she never had even if he did act like her younger brother. Well not exactly like her younger brother. Sheldon would never sell drugs. She remembered a few years back him telling her he promised his mother he wouldn't do any kind of drugs when he moved to California, including caffeine. And after she did convince him he needed a cup of coffee, Sheldon went a bit whacky. It was when she started calling him Dr. Whackadoodle. She never offered him coffee again. Yes, Penny was annoyed with some of his quirks at times, but she also knew and understood that they were only part of who he was and that no one could change who he was.

But Penny was broken from her thought pattern as Sheldon spoke to her.

"Penny, may I ask you something?"

"You just did." Penny said to him, answering him the way he had her many times. But upon seeing his look, continued. "Sure what's up?"

"Well, any number of things.. The sky, a ceiling, a…" He answered.

Penny, knowing she walked right into that answer, let out a sound of frustration and interrupted her friend. "Sheldon, I meant what is going on? You sound a little confused."

"Well," Sheldon began. "I was wondering what was going on in your mind when you married Zack? I mean I think you love Leonard, as he was all crazy the day you finally said it, but then you go and do things like this that make me wonder if you really care about him at all. I mean I know he has asked you as well to marry him, but you have said no on more than one occasion."

"Well first off, it was well before I said that to Leonard and well I was honestly too drunk to realize that I had actually gone through with the wedding."

"Which is why you are denying it?" Sheldon asked.

"I guess that is it. I mean I know when I drink a lot I do stupid things. And we were in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. I mean really Las Vegas?" Penny said. "Of course I was drinking."

"You seem to drink quite often." Sheldon pointed out.

"I sometimes think I do but then I think about the fact that I am never ever drinking when I work, which is pretty much 6 days a week. And yes I do have a glass of wine with dinner every night. But I only drink in excess when I go out with the girls."

"A habit I have noticed Amy is inheriting." Sheldon frowned at her.

"Well Amy is learning." Penny laughed.

"I don't want her to learn that kind of thing." Sheldon said to her. "I liked her when she didn't want to drink and hang out with you girls and…"

"When she didn't want more of a physical relationship with you?" Penny asked.

"Now I didn't say that." Sheldon objected.

"So do you want a physical relationship with her?" She asked him.

"I have already answered that question for you." Sheldon told her.

"You said it is a possibility." Penny said. "It really isn't an answer. Do you see yourself in a physical relationship with Amy someday?"

"Now if I answer this, you won't run off and tell her?" Sheldon asked seriously. He couldn't have Amy going crazy on him.

"I guess it depends on your answer. I mean Amy really cares for you and for some unknown reason wants to be your girlfriend. I know when she signed that ridiculous contract it was because she had never been asked to be a girlfriend before. But Sheldon if you are going to keep stringing her along and not going anywhere, I may tell her to look elsewhere." Penny told him. She didn't want to see her friend hurting. Every time Amy would come over after a date and complain about Sheldon she wanted to go over and smack him. She could tell Sheldon would not want Amy out of his life but he needed to make a commitment to her in some way.

"Well then I guess it will remain a secret then." Sheldon said.

"What so you want to get physical or the answer is a secret?" Penny questioned a bit more.

"I mean you won't tell her." Sheldon said. "I guess the answer to your question is yes I would like to become more physical with her. I mean I like holding her hand and when she hugs me…." He stopped talking.

"So why not kiss her?" Penny asked.

"Because I wouldn't know how to even start something like that."

"Oh sweetie it is something that is so natural." Penny told him.

"Not to me. I have issues hugging sometimes. I can't imagine what will happen if I kiss her. Maybe we should discuss it and we can put it in our agreement. Like after every date night or something." Sheldon contemplated.

"Why the agreement? Can't you just come up with a solution together instead of putting in some stupid contract?" Penny was frustrated with Sheldon and his contracts. He had a roommate agreement with Leonard and apparently there was a clause in it that included her. She had no say in what was in there and it drove her nuts.

"We have been coming up with things together for our agreement ever since that weekend I didn't attend her aunt's birthday party and especially after I made the first move when it came to hand holding. She fought me to hold hands at the movies and I agreed." He told her.

"But I have seen you at the movies and you fight her every time." Penny pointed out.

"If I let her know how much I like holding her hand, she will want to do it more." Sheldon told her.

"And that is a bad thing why?" Penny asked. "I mean you just said you would like to get more physical with her, so holding hands is a good first step."

"I suppose you are right." He told her.

"Wait did you just say I was right?" Penny asked astonished.

"Yes I did. I guess you never thought you would hear those words out of my mouth now did you?" He answered her.

"No I can honestly say I never did." Penny said. "So are you going to talk to Amy?"

"I will. I think we need to work together to make our relationship work. Even if it seems like I don't, I really do care about her. I can't imagine her not in my life." Sheldon said.

"Sheldon that is the sweetest thing I have ever heard." Penny said. "Listen, I know you have never been in a real relationship before and neither has Amy so the two of you need to take things at your own pace. I know I always make fun of the two of you but what you two have is special and I don't want to see you two apart."

"Thank you." He said.

"And if you ever need any advice, I will be happy to help."

"Well you do have the experience." Sheldon said.

"Sheldon!" Penny admonished, but she knew it was true. She was definitely the most experienced dater of all the group.

"Okay okay I kid but I do appreciate your advice when you give it. Now you said first when explaining your marriage to Zack what is another reason?" He said, changing the subject from him and Amy.

"I am not sure." She answered honestly.

"Do you love Leonard?" Sheldon asked. He wasn't sure if this was her issue or not.

"Of course I love Leonard." Penny answered. She knew that was true. She had never felt the kind of love she had for Leonard with any other man she had been with.

"So what is the problem?" Sheldon asked her. He couldn't understand why she was so reluctant to make a commitment to Leonard.

"I don't know." She admitted.

"Well I suppose you better figure it out. I may not understand this whole love thing but I know that Leonard truly loves you. I remember when you broke up the last time. He was awful for days."

"Yes but then he slept with that physicist lady you brought around." She pointed out.

"Dr. Plimpton turned out to be a sexed crazed woman. She didn't just sleep with Leonard, apparently Raj had a liaison with her as well."

"Really? I never knew that." Penny said.

"Apparently when Leonard and Howard went over to play Halo she was there and then wanted to sleep with all of them."

"Did she try with you too?" Penny asked, seriously.

"With me, heavens no. I was above such things." He said.

"Was?" Penny questioned.

"Have we not already discussed this?" He said to her.

"Yes but we were discussing kissing not sex." Penny pointed out.

"But kissing will eventually lead to sex." Sheldon said.

"So are you saying….?"

"YES someday I would like to have sex with Amy. There are you happy?"

"Wow Sheldon that is big." Penny said to him. "And if you are wondering if I will tell Amy, I won't I promise. She deserves to hear that from you."

"She knows." Sheldon told her.

"How, when?"

"Well remember the weekend you all were supposed to go to Las Vegas and then Amy hit the TSA agent?"

"Yes, we ended up playing Dungeons and Dragons. What were you two up to in your room when she ran away?" Penny asked.

"We finished out the task of the love potion." Sheldon told her.

"Are you saying that you two…" Penny was shocked. She didn't know Sheldon had this side to him.

"I guess you could say we had simulated sex, yes."

"Oh my God!"

"Amy never told you?" Sheldon couldn't believe that Amy would have kept that to herself.

"I swear she never did. We asked several times at girls' night but she kept saying that you talked and she felt better about her relationship with you."

"Well that night I told her that I had not ruled out having an intimate relationship with her. As it is I feel we have a very intimate relationship."

"A relationship of the mind." Penny said.

"Yes but I think that you guys sometimes don't understand what we mean by that." Sheldon told her.

"It means that you are both smart."

"No it means that we have very good conversations. We know each other's quirks and we still want to be around each other. I have never felt as close to someone, not even Leonard, as I do with Amy."

"I have heard you two talk and I must say I agree. You seem to just get each other and she doesn't let you get away with anything. I have noticed that when she asks you for something you may fight her but you always do it."

"I guess I could say I would do anything for her." Sheldon said.

"Wow. See that is what I need in a relationship." Penny said.

"Are you trying to tell me that Leonard doesn't do anything for you? Because I must say you are living in a dream world then. I have seen that man do more for you than any other person I've known." Sheldon pointed out to her. There was no way she was going to try and fool him.

"Well…" Penny started but she was cut off by Sheldon.

"Well nothing Penny. Leonard does things he hates just to be with you. I mean you drag him to cheesy girly movies when you have girlfriends that will go with you. And you know what he goes! But when he wants you to go to a movie, you laugh at him and make fun of the things he likes."

"That isn't fair. He has you guys to go to those movies with!" She protested.

"And you have Bernadette and Amy!" Sheldon yelled at her.

"But you have gone to the movies with Amy. Has she never picked a movie you hate?"

"I have gone to a number of what you girls would call chick flicks with Amy and no I can't say I enjoyed them. However she goes with me to see my movies as well. And on Valentine's Day this year we watched Star Wars because she wanted to make me happy. She never once complained."

"And what did you do for her?" Penny snapped back.

"I made her my emergency contact at work." He answered.

"What? That was your gift to her?"

"Yes and she loved it."

"You guys are weird." Penny told him.

"Why is that weird?" Sheldon asked. "She absolutely loved it. I told her that if I ever got sick or hurt at work, she was the first person I wanted to be called, even over Leonard who was at the same campus at the time."

"Oh."

"What did you two do your last Valentine's Day?" Sheldon asked. "Oh wait don't answer I know."

"How do you know?" Penny asked.

"Because Leonard and I talk. I was bragging about how great my night was when Leonard came back from your place the next morning on our way to work. He told me you saw an ex-boyfriend propose to the girl he left you for and then when he tried to propose you shot him down again. How many times does that man need to propose before you say yes?" Sheldon asked her.

"He told me I have to propose when I am ready." Penny told him.

"Yes I know that too. But how ridiculous is that? He is ready now. If you love him as much as you say you do, why won't you marry him?"

"Because marriage is forever." Penny said.

"Well it is supposed to be. Are you afraid that if you and Leonard get married, you will end up divorced?" Sheldon asked seriously.

"Well you know us. We have nothing in common. You are right, I make no effort to like anything he does. I mean yes I will sit in the living room when you guys are having a movie marathon but I don't care about those movies. I can't stand staying at your place overnight because I feel like I am sleeping with a teenager every time I go into Leonard's room. Don't you think Amy is going to feel the same way?"

"Actually we have discussed many things about our future."

"So you actually see yourself marrying Amy?" Penny asked shocked.

"It is a possibility."

"You said that about sex too." Penny said. "So I guess just like that, it is a yes."

"Well Penny, relationships can end one of two ways in my opinion. You either stay with the person for the rest of your life, as in marriage or you go your separate ways. And as I have said I see no reason why Amy would leave me or I her."

"Well I disagree. Relationships can be off and on."

"As is the case with you and Leonard. How many times did you have a first date?"

"That is beside the point. I love Leonard and I plan on staying with him. I will have to do something about this marriage to Zack. But please don't tell Leonard. I will have to find my own way of doing it."

"I won't tell him. It is not my place but you have to promise me you won't go telling Amy everything I told you tonight."

"I won't but please talk to her."

"I will. You do the same with Leonard."

"I will. Now we are here." Penny said as they pulled into the driveway. "Let's see what Zack has gotten himself into now."

Zack was beginning to worry. It had been almost two hours since he got off the phone with Penny. He wondered if they were really coming. Even in the worst traffic, he could get to her apartment in a little over an hour. Maybe Sheldon had to talk Penny into going even though she agreed to come. Just as he was about to give up, there was a knock on the door. This woke the boy sleeping on his couch up.

"Unca Vern!" He cried.

"No no no. Not your uncle. My friends are here." He told the child. "They are here to help you too. I promise." But the boy was terrified. Zack opened the door and he hid under a pillow.

"Hey Zack." Penny said to him.

"Hey Penny, hey Sheldon. Thanks for coming." He said to them. He turned around and saw the boy hiding under the blanket. "See no uncle, just friends. Penny can I speak to you in the kitchen alone?" He asked.

"Sure" And she followed him into the kitchen, leaving Sheldon behind to deal with the boy by himself.

 **If you liked it please leave a review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter was mostly edited already so it was easy to put out in a day. So enjoy the quick turn around. Thanks to those that reviewed the chapter yesterday**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to the Big Bang theory or Harry Potter. All characters belong to their rightful owners respectively.**

Zack knew it wouldn't be long now before Sheldon and Penny arrived, but somehow, it seemed as though the night would never end. The small, black haired child had woken up and was mumbling something, but his speech was not very easy to understand. The young teacher noticed that his words were slurred and a little sloppy. But he thought he had heard, "Mummy" and "Da-dee." But he wasn't sure. All Zack knew and understood was that this poor child was very confused and somehow, not quite acting like a boy this age should act. Zack figured him to be around eight or nine but he seemed to have reverted to toddlerhood.

"I'm sorry, honey, but your mom and dad aren't here," he whispered as gently as he could. Zack didn't want to frighten him, so he tried to keep his voice as calm and soft as possible. This seemed to work because he climbed onto Zack's lap and snuggled deep into the young man's chest as if he was a much younger child. Zack was thinking he would have to get this child some psychiatric help.

As for Harry, he had been scared at first, but he seemed to adapt to this stranger quite well and was calmly sitting in his lap like a toddler and babbling something akin to baby talk. He was undoubtedly confused. However, he knew that this nice stranger seemed rather concerned, which was new because Harry had only been shouted at for most of his young life and he didn't fully understand that the concern was for him and him alone. He flinched a little when Zack gently brushed his messy hair away from his forehead, but otherwise sat still, staring up at the young teacher with fear in his green eyes. "Mummy here?" Harry asked sadly.

Zack's heart nearly shattered when he heard the raw, deep sadness in the child's voice. The question was so simple yet so complicated. How was Zack going to explain to a child in shock that his parents could not come back? How was he going to explain to this child that he somehow was across the pond in a manner of minutes? Instead he said, "You are safe, child. No one will hurt you ever again."

"Auntie Tuni and Unca Vern no more?" Harry asked with big eyes.

"Auntie and Unca? You have an aunt and uncle? Do you live with them?" Zack asked, comprehension dawning on him. If this boy lived with his aunt and uncle instead of his parents' maybe it was because his parents' were abusive. Or worse maybe his aunt and uncle were.

"Unca Vern mean." Harry told him.

"Your uncle is mean?" Zack questioned. Harry just nodded and then looked away. Zack was relieved that this boy was finally beginning to open up a little.

He looked at his watch and began to worry. It had been almost two hours since he got hung up with Penny. He wondered if they were really coming. Even in the worst traffic, he could get to her apartment in a little over an hour. Maybe Sheldon had to talk Penny into going even though she agreed to come. Just as he was about to give up, there was a knock on the door.

"Unca Vern!" He cried.

"No no no. Not your uncle. Don't worry, those are my friends. Well one is my wife but the other man is a friend." Zack told him. "They aren't going to hurt you." He reassured. Zack went to the door and answered it. "Hey Penny, hey Sheldon. Thanks for coming." He said to them. He turned around and saw the boy hiding under the blanket. "See no uncle, just friends. Penny can I speak to you in the kitchen alone?" He asked.

"Sure" And she followed him into the kitchen, leaving Sheldon behind to deal with the boy by himself.

Sheldon slowly walked to the couch and sat down next to him there. "Hello." Sheldon said to the boy. "My name is Sheldon. I am from Pasadena."

The boy looked at him curiously. The nice man told him that this was a friend and he wouldn't hurt him, but Harry wasn't so sure. He looked away and started to cry a little.

"Oh hey don't cry. I was just trying to talk to you. I am sorry. I don't know much about little kids. My sister is pregnant and going to have a baby in about a month but I don't know about babies either. And that is saying a lot because I know about a lot of things. I am a genius but I never understood kids even when I was one. So if I can't talk to you I am sorry." Sheldon said to him.

"Friend." Harry said to him, pointing to the kitchen area, where Penny and Zack were talking.

"Yes, Zack is my friend. And that woman is also my friend. Her name is Penny. She is very nice. What is your name?" Sheldon asked him.

"Ha ha ha..harry." Harry stuttered out. "Harry Potter."

"Well it is nice to meet you Harry Potter, I am Sheldon Cooper." Sheldon said.

"Shel…Sheldon." Harry said.

"Yes Sheldon. Now how old are you?" Sheldon asked.

"Nine." Harry said more confidently to him.

"Oh I remember being nine. I didn't have any friends when I was nine. Do you have friends?" Sheldon asked. He was amazed at how easy it was to talk to the child. Zack had said he wasn't talking at all.

"No….Dudley doesn't like me." Harry told him.

"Who is Dudley?" Sheldon asked.

Zack and Penny went into the kitchen to talk while Sheldon went out into the living room where Harry was.

"Thank you so much for coming." Zack said again to her.

"I just hope we can help. Have you called the authorities yet?" Penny asked.

"Not yet. I wanted to get as much out of him as possible before contacting anyone."

"Do you have any idea where he came from?" Penny asked.

"All I know was I got this feeling in my stomach that something wasn't right, like someone was hurt, and he just all of a sudden showed up on my lap."

"And you have no idea who he is?" She asked.

"I have never seen him before. He is so much younger than the students I teach. He must be about eight or nine but acts more like a five year old. He has clearly been through a trauma. He mentioned his parents and an aunt and uncle." Zack told her.

"And you say he is British?" She asked.

"Well he has a British accent. Actually I only realized it because he has said so little but he sounds like my mother."

"Your mother?" Penny questioned. "What do you mean he sounds like your mother?"

"Well I never told you this, because she has been gone for so long. I mean, she died when I was twelve so I don't talk about her much. My mother was from England. She met my dad when she was sent here at eleven by my Aunt and Uncle. She apparently wasn't going to be able to go to some special school that everyone else in the family had gone to so she was sent to be with another just like her my father said. They met in middle school and dated all through high school. They got married right after and had my sister a year later. Two years later they had me. When I was ten, my mom was coming home from the grocery store when she was hit by a drunk driver and killed instantly." Zack told her.

"Oh Zack, I am so sorry. I wish you had told me." Penny said.

"It wouldn't have changed it. Besides, we didn't date long enough to get into family backgrounds." He told her.

"So do you think you had a connection to him because he is related to you?" Penny asked.

"I never thought about that but I doubt it. I never met any of my mother's family because they had pretty much abandoned her. I know she had a brother named James and her maiden name is Potter but that is about all." Zack said.

"Well maybe we can get some answers from the child. Let's go and save Sheldon. He is not comfortable around children. I am sure they are sitting there staring at each other. I just hope Sheldon hasn't scared him worse." Penny laughed.

When they walked into the living room, they were shocked to hear Sheldon having a conversation with the boy. They heard him ask, "Who is Dudley?" just as they came in.

"My cousin." Harry answered Sheldon.

"You got him to talk?" Zack asked, utterly amazed. "I have been trying for hours."

"Well maybe you hadn't said the right words." Sheldon told him.

"Sheldon." Harry said, pointing at him.

"Yes I am Sheldon. Now that over there is Zack and like I told you earlier, the woman is Penny. We are all friends and will not hurt you." Sheldon said, reassuringly. He was surprised how easily he could talk to this child.

"Zack." Harry said, pointing to Zack and then, "Penny." Pointing at Penny.

"And this is Harry Potter." Sheldon said to him.

"Did you say Potter?" Zack asked him and looked at Penny.

 **If you like it please leave a review. I hope to have chapter 6 up quickly also.**


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N:_** ** _Thanks so much to those who have reviewed, followed or favorited this story. I really appreciate it._**

 ** _Chapter 6 did not need much tinkering so here it is._**

 ** _I don't own anything BBT or Harry Potter related._**

 _Previously: "Did you say Potter?" Zack asked. As he looked at Penny._

Sheldon looked more than a little confused when he saw the other adults look meaningfully at each other, but he answered the teacher's question. "Yes, I did. All I found out so far is that he is nine and he has a cousin named Dudley who apparently doesn't like him," Sheldon explained. But then he added, "I don't really know or understand what his last name has to do with anything though."

Penny and Zack glanced at each other unsure of how to explain. "Do you want me to explain or do you want to?" Penny asked quietly. "It's your story to tell after all."

"Guys" Sheldon said, drawing their attention to him. He was confused by the secretiveness they were displaying. "What's going on?"

Before he could ask anything else, Zack answered his question. "I was just explaining to Penny that my mom's maiden name was Potter before she married my dad. She was from England, but when she was 11 she was sent here to the US by my grandparents. Her brother James was much younger than her, but she never saw him after their parents sent her to the US. My mother died when I was eleven. She kept an eye on me and my sister when we were nearing that age and she seemed disappointed that I didn't receive a letter. She was sure I would get one because of my gift but I didn't."

"What kind of letter?" Penny asked. She knew about his gift but had never heard of a letter before now.

"A letter from a special school. It is a school for people with special abilities." Zack told her.

"Well you have a special ability. Why didn't you get a letter?" Penny asked.

"I didn't have everything needed to get in to the school, much like my mother. Although with my father being normal, it wasn't as upsetting to her as when she did not get her letter and had to move away.

"I am sorry. I am confused." Sheldon said. "You said your mother was sent away at eleven? "

"Like I said my mother was born in England. She grew up in a town called Godric's Hollow."

"I have never heard of it." Sheldon said.

"Well it is a very old town, dating back thousands of years. It is very rarely talked about in the regular world because not many regular people live there." Zack told him.

"What do you mean by regular?" Sheldon asked.

"I mean muggle." Zack said. "That was the word my mother used for it. I think they are called no-mag in America."

"No-mag? That almost sounds like magic." Sheldon laughed.

"Well…." Zack said.

"Are you telling me there is such thing as magic?" Penny asked.

"My grandparents are wizards. My Uncle James was a wizard and I think this little boy is a wizard. I mean I only know of one way that people can go from one place to another in a blink of an eye and that is by disapparation. It was something my mother taught me about when she thought I could be a wizard with my special ability and all. Sadly that is all I ever got. I can't do any kind of magic at all and neither can my sister. My mother died not knowing whether my sister ever received one even though she did not."

"Letter to where?" Penny asked.

"Like I said a special school abroad." Zack said. "I don't remember the name of it, I would have to ask my uncle. There is one here in the states too. That is somewhere near New York, I think. I don't know the name of that either. You see my mother was what they call a squib. She was born into a family that is all magical but she had no ability to do magic. My grandparents sent her away when she turned eleven so she could live in the real muggle world. She moved here because she had an uncle who was also a squib. He sent her to school here and that is where she met my father. She told my father all about her other life before America. She used to tell me he was skeptical but then she would get these letters that came by owl."

"By owl?" Sheldon asked.

"That is how witches and wizards communicate. They send letters by owl."

"How does the owl know where to go?" Penny asked.

"It just does. My sister and I have my mother's old owl, Twinkles. She keeps it and I use to use it to send letters to my mother's parents. Even though they sent her away, they kept in touch. When she died they kept writing my sister to see if she would get a letter. When she didn't the letters stopped coming. We knew about my uncle's child. Mom and he had been communicating and he wanted us to know about the child even though mom was no longer with us. I am guessing this is him. I am really worried about him right now. He barely said anything to me. All I could get out of him was that he had an aunt and uncle and that his uncle is mean. I don't know about his aunt, though."

This however, seemed to set the little boy off because he started to cry. "Mummy… Daddy… Car crash… Died… Auntie Tuni mean… Hit Harry… Unca Vern mean… Don't get to eat…"

All of the adults, including Sheldon, glanced at one another with concern. "Who's Harry?" Penny whispered.

"You're looking at him," Sheldon said with mild amusement. She obviously had not heard him say his name earlier.

Meanwhile, Zack knelt down in front of Harry in order to try and calm him down a little. He also noticed that the child was starting to open up a little bit more, which Zack was relieved by. However, hearing that the child had indeed not been fed enough and the fact that his aunt was hitting him confirmed some of the young teacher's suspicion that the little child was being abused. However, there was one question that needed to be answered, so Zack was going to be as gentle as possible. "Kiddo, where did you sleep before you came to me?"

Even Penny and Sheldon were interested to find out more about the mysterious child, so they lean forward to hear his answer.

Harry was very frightened, but something about the nice man's voice was soothing and comforting, so he looked up at Zack with big, watery eyes. "In the… the… c-c-cupboard," he stuttered. "Scared… Dark… Spiders… Don't want to go home…"

"No, no, don't worry, kiddo," Zack told him soothingly. "I just need some information because no decent person would mistreat a child like this."

Harry's eyes widened in fear as he stammered on his words. "Deserve it… Freak… Waste of space…"

Everyone including Sheldon was shocked speechless to hear the little boy saying those horrible things about himself. But, it was Zack who gently took the child into his arms; turning his watery green eyes so that they were staring straight into Zack's brown ones.

"Buddy, what your aunt and uncle did to you; it was wrong and still is. What they did to you, it's called abuse and it's very wrong. Do you understand? You didn't deserve any of that. You didn't deserve to starve either. Also, judging by the size of these clothes, their own child's health is at risk."

Just then, Penny and Sheldon were startled by a sharp tapping sound on the window in the kitchen. "That is odd," Sheldon said, opening the door to the house. "Nobody is out here."

Penny looked thoughtful as she replied. "It's not a person." She pointed at the window and they all saw a beautiful brown owl staring at them.

 **Okay so who is the owl from? Chapter 7 will reveal all.**

 **If you liked please leave a review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for sticking with this little tale of Harry and the Big Bang theory. It is actually really fun to explore new ideas. I want to thank you guys for giving me some ideas about what the letter Dumbledore sent was about and of course you were right about that. I hope you like or not like what he has to say and Zack's reaction._**

 ** _As always I don't own the Big Bang Theory or Harry Potter characters. They are just fun to write about._**

 ** _Enjoy!_**

 _Just then, Penny and Sheldon were startled by a sharp tapping sound on the window in the kitchen. "That is odd," Sheldon said, opening the door to the house. "Nobody is out here."_

 _Penny looked thoughtful as she replied. "It's not a person." She pointed at the window and they all saw a beautiful brown owl staring at them._

Zack walked over to the window and opened the kitchen window to allow the owl to fly in so that he could untie the letter that was attached to its leg.

Sheldon was a bit surprised to see how thick the envelope was. "Is that parchment?" He asked in shock. "I thought nobody used that anymore."

Zack chuckled. "You will find, after a while, that my mother's world is rather old-fashioned. When I was a child, she told me once that they still use quills instead of pens."

"So?" Penny prompted. "What does the letter say?"

Zack, after carefully slighting the envelope open, began to read the letter out loud.

 _Dear Mr. Johnson,_

 _It has come to my attention that young Harry is no longer with his relatives. He must go back as soon as possible in order for the wards to fully protect him from Voldemort and his followers. Only his mother's blood and whoever shares that blood will be able to protect him from Voldemort and his followers. He must go back. It is for his own safety and the greater good. Do not contact the authorities. They will not believe you anyway. Please contact me so we can get Harry back to where he belongs._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_.

"Hogwarts! That's the name of the school that my mother was hoping to get a letter from for either me or my sister. She never got her letter so she desperately wanted one of us to get one."

Sheldon, ignoring Zack's recollection of the school name, shouted at the contents of the letter. He didn't fully understand all there was to know about children but he did know that this little boy did not belong with guardians who hurt and starved him. "Is that man insane?" He burst out angrily. "He can't go back there! Who knows what would happen to him!"

Penny sighed heavily. "For once, I agree with Sheldon. No kid deserves to be locked up in a cupboard. Zack, I know that you and I haven't been getting along lately but please, do the right thing. Don't let him suffer anymore."

After reading the letter over one more time, Zack was furious. His face softened some when he saw the looks of deep concern and fear on his wife's face as well as Sheldon's. When he spoke though, Zack was livid. "Hell no I am not letting him go back to those monsters! Harry came to me for a reason. He came to me for help and to be loved, so that is what I am going to do. I am going to take care of him because I know that is what my Uncle James would've wanted; my mother, too. In fact, my mother is Harry's aunt, so that makes me his cousin anyway. I may not have the same blood as Harry's mom, but I might be able to find someone who can help me in that aspect. My mom told me about her brother's headmaster and his greater good nonsense a long time ago, so I am not going to listen to it. My cousin is just a child and he doesn't deserve what happened to him."

"So who is this Voldemort character?" Sheldon asked him.

"I have no idea but there must be something we can do to protect him. It doesn't seem as though his aunt and uncle were doing that great of a job anyway. I need to think about what to do next." Zack told him.

"Would you like us to stay with you for a little bit?" Sheldon asked hesitantly.

"I'm okay for now," Zack answered. "You'd better get back to Pasadena before your other friends find out you're missing."

"Yeah, we better," Penny said with a smile. "We don't want Amy or anyone else to find out about this just yet, but somehow I have the feeling that it won't happen."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked, slightly confused.

Penny frowned slightly. "It's just Leonard," she answered. "He's been driving me crazy lately."

"And I haven't?" The young teacher teased.

"Good point," Penny said as she got into the driver's seat of her car. "I will call you tomorrow and we can figure out how to respond to the letter."

"Oh I already know how I am going to respond." Zack told her.

"Are you going to contact the police?" Sheldon asked.

"No. I know now that he is blood and there is no reason for me to alert them. Besides, I have a feeling I haven't heard the last from the headmaster."

"Okay well don't do anything rash." Penny told him. "I will talk to you tomorrow." She and Sheldon pulled out of the driveway and headed back to Pasadena.

"So your husband has a strange family." Sheldon pointed out.

"Will you stop calling him my husband!" Penny yelled. "I didn't even think it was real."

"Well again they are and you are very much married to him. Now what about Leonard, I suppose you don't want me to tell him about you being married. And how are we going to explain our absence to him. I am sure by now he is itching to know."

"Nice pun." Penny laughed, thinking about Leonard wearing the sweater.

"What pun?" Sheldon asked.

"Never mind." She said. Sometimes he was so clueless even if he couldn't help it.

"So what are we going to tell him?" He asked. "Keep in mind the key to a good lie is in the details."

"We could say I took you to the arcade to cash in your tickets." Penny said.

"That would work except for the fact that the tickets are sitting on the counter in our kitchen."

"Oh." Penny said. "How about we went for ice cream?" She suggested.

"And we didn't ask Leonard because he is lactose intolerant." Sheldon completed. "That could work. Now you had strawberry and I had half vanilla half chocolate side by side, not swirled with a half a teaspoon of sprinkles, rainbow, not chocolate and two cherries one on top and one on the bottom with no stems."

"And all I had was strawberry?" She asked.

"Well we don't want to get too fancy." He said.

"Fine." She laughed, "but I am sure he won't ask."

"Well if he does that is what we did." Sheldon said.

They drove home in relative silence until Sheldon broke it.

"Penny?" Sheldon said.

"Yeah sweetie?" She asked.

"How come you never told us that Zack was smarter than he seemed?" He asked, seriously.

"It was all him. That first night, he actually acted stupid the whole time I was with him and then when we decided to try again, he told me what he really did for a living. I was impressed. Then he asked me not to share it with you guys. He for some reason didn't want people to know."

"I don't understand that at all. He really seems to have a good head on his shoulders and he seems like he will be great with Harry. So why not tell us?"

"I think he is afraid of his gift. He doesn't want people to know about it and so he acts stupid to throw them off the scent."

"What scent? He had no odor to him." Sheldon said.

"That is an expression. It means he was hiding the truth." Penny explained.

"Oh. I guess I can understand. I mean his mother's family seems very mean if they sent her away at such a young age."

"I tend to agree with you there but Zack seems to think his mother didn't mind. When I spoke with him, he said she was different. I am not sure what kind of people they are that communicate using owls and parchment but they seem very old fashion." Penny said.

"I know. I just hope Zack can keep that Dumbledore or whatever his name was away from Harry."

"I think Zack can hold his own." Penny said.

They arrived back at the apartment building and went into 4A. Leonard had already gone to bed.

"Oh good, we don't have to worry about him right now." Penny said. "Since he is already asleep, I think I will stay at my place tonight."

"Okay Penny, goodnight."

"Goodnight." She said, and she left his apartment. She figured she would have some explaining to do in the morning.

 **So next chapter will deal with Zack's response and what he will do next. We will get back to Sheldon and the gang later in the week but I am going to concentrate on Harry for a bit.**

 **If you liked it please leave me a review. I love them!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay so the North American Wizard School is mentioned here is all from Pottermore and the information about the headmaster was taken from there as well. So blame them if I got it wrong.**

 **I don't own any of the characters, well except for Kristen, Twinkles and Uncle Archie. they are all mine.**

Zack knew he had to respond to the letter before Dumbledore sent someone to collect Harry. He just couldn't let this boy, his cousin, go back to what seemed like an abusive situation. What Zack couldn't understand was why he was with those people to begin with. What made Zack most curious was where his Uncle James was. Clearly something had happened to him and he assumed his Aunt as well since Harry was living with an aunt and uncle who were related to Harry's mother. Dumbledore's letter said something about for the best and protection. Well Zack knew exactly where he could turn for protection. He quickly looked up his great uncle's phone number and called him. He had moved across the country to New York after his parents had married. He came to visit often before her passing and watched him and his sister carefully. His mother later told him that was to watch for signs they could be a witch or wizard, just like she had as well. He knew he was no longer needed to keep his mother protected. The last time he saw his uncle was at his mother's funeral 13 years prior but he had written once in a while and they kept saying they were going to meet up but neither did. He wasn't sure why but he knew the phone call would go well.

"Hello." His Uncle Archie said answering his phone.

"Hi Uncle Archie, it's Zack." Zack said to him.

"Zack it's been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure?" His uncle asked.

Zack went into the details of Harry's arrival and how they think he could possibly be related and then asked what he should do about it.

"Did you say the boy's name was Harry Potter?" Archie asked him.

"Yes. This is why I believe he may be related to me. So is there someone I can contact?" Zack asked.

"Listen, Zack, Harry Potter is a very famous wizard. He defeated an evil wizard named Voldemort. His parents died trying to protect him."

"Well that explains why he is living with his aunt and uncle. But Uncle Archie, he has been abused there. He can live with me, after all I am related to him."

"It might not be that simple. I say let's contact Ilvermorny and see what the headmaster there thinks. His name is Agilbert Fontaine." Archie said.

"Okay I will do that."

"I am going to come out to California as soon as I can. Maybe I can get a friend to help me get there tomorrow." Archie said.

"There is no need to spend all kinds of money to get here quickly." Zack told him.

"This friend could get me there for free." Archie informed him.

"Okay then, if you think it is necessary. In the meantime, I will write Dumbledore and Fontaine and see what we can do."

"Okay Zack, good luck and I will see you in the morning." Archie said, and hung up the phone.

Zack went over to his desk and pulled out some paper. He thought he should write Dumbledore first.

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

 _I am writing you in regards to Harry. I have become aware that Harry is related to me when he finally opened up to a friend of mine and gave me his name. My mother's maiden name was Potter. She had a brother named James. I believe he was my uncle. She was sent away before the age of eleven because she did not have the powers of a witch. I am aware she was known as a squib. She explained everything to me._

 _Now I am not sure how you found out where Harry was but I can assure you he is safe with me. The abuse this boy has suffered has not gone unnoticed. I will be contacting_ _Agilbert Fontaine_ _, the headmaster of Ilvermorny and asking for his advice. I cannot believe that if you have the best interests of this child you would have allowed him to stay in that place. I will be telling Professor Fontaine about it._

 _Now if I have to I will have wards placed on my home so he cannot be taken or we can simply move. I suspect if we do the latter you will be able to find him since you found him here. Please do not try and contact me again. Your letters will be unanswered._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Zack Johnson._

Zack looked at the letter one last time before sealing the envelope and adding the address. He then set out to write a letter to Fontaine. In that letter he explained what had happened and told his story to the headmaster. He informed him about his mother and her being a squib. He sealed that letter and checked the time. He realized it was too late to call his sister to borrow Twinkles so it would have to wait until morning. He didn't think Dumbledore would send someone the next day without having heard from Zack yet. So Zack placed the letters on his desk and went to bed.

The next morning Zack woke up in a panic. He looked at his clock and thought he overslept. He then realized even though it was Monday he had the whole week off for Thanksgiving. He was very grateful for that. He had not even begun to think what he would do with Harry while he was at school. He figured if he could convince Dumbledore to let Harry stay with him he would enroll him in the elementary school in his district. It was right next door to the middle school so Harry would be able to walk over to his building when done and they could go home together. Zack realized he had a lot to do over the next few days.

He got up a few minutes later and went into the living room to find Harry still sound asleep on the couch. _I should have let him sleep in my room._ Zack thought as he looked at the sleeping boy. He walked over to his desk and retrieved the letter. He picked up the phone and called his sister. He knew she would be up early as she had to be in class at 8:30

"You better have a good reason to be calling me before 7:00 on my day off." Kristen said into the phone.

"I didn't know today was your day off." Zack said back to you. "I thought you would be up and getting ready."

"Well just like you I have the entire week off so what do you want?" She asked rather nastily.

Zack told Kristen the story of how Harry had just appeared in his apartment the night before and how Penny and Sheldon had come over and they found out his name then how they got a letter from Dumbledore.

"You mean the Dumbledore?" Kristen asked in awe. "I always thought those stories mom told us were made up. Do you mean she really was from a family of witches and wizards?"

"All the times mom asked if we had anything unusual happen and you never once thought she was telling the truth?" Zack asked, appalled. He had always assumed his sister just believed like he did.

"Mom was always telling us stories to get us to go to bed or something. I just assumed this was another one of those." She told him.

"But even Uncle Archie backed her up." Zack said.

"Okay you are right. I should have believed her now you said this boy, Harry, has the last name of Potter? And you got a letter stating he needs to be sent back?" She asked.

"Yes." Zack answered. "I think he appeared to me because he is related to us somehow. I actually think he is our cousin. I am not sending him back by the way."

"Our cousin? Isn't he a little young to be our cousin?"

"Mom's brother was nine years younger than she was so when she was sent away he would have been two."

"I guess you are right but where was he staying?"

"He has been staying with an aunt and uncle who are related to his mother. I spoke with Uncle Archie and he told me his parents were killed by an evil wizard named Voldemort. Harry is apparently very famous. His parents saved him from being killed also."

"Zack do you think it is a good idea to keep a child who apparently has a murderer after him?"

"If you could see him you would understand. Now can I borrow Twinkles or not?"

"Yes, I will send her over right away. Just think about what I said."

"I think there is a reason he came to me. Let me send these letters and we will go from there. If he was being protected for some reason at his aunt's house then maybe I will send him back but if I can do the same protecting then why not let him stay here. He will only be here for a couple of years."

"Can you even take care of a child?"

"I can figure it out. Send Twinkles. We will go from there if we hear back."

"Fine." Kristen said.

Twinkles arrived twenty minutes later. Zack attached the two letters to his legs and sent him out the window. He watched as the bird disappeared in the air. He turned and saw Harry was just waking up.

"Everything is going to be alright, kid." Zack told him. "It's going to be alright."

Zack didn't know what was going to happen but he had to believe what he was telling Harry.

 **Okay so this is the last pre-written chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review if you did. I so enjoy getting them.**

 **Now I can't promise the next chapters will be up as quickly. Like I have stated, I am currently working on three different stories. And I have an idea for another. I will get these out as quick as possible. I am not abandoning this story. I promise.**


	9. Chapter 9

Hello everybody.

I just wanted to publish something real quick on this story and say that I will be taking a hiatus from I am not Stupid for a little while. I know I have already been away from it for a while but I wanted to explain myself.  
First, I took on three multi-chapter stories at the same time and I thought I could handle it. When I did that I was able to by publishing one chapter from one story every week. I would just take turns on the stories.

Unfortunately the day I last published this story I got some very unexpected and sad news. That morning my father had suddenly passed away. I took a hiatus from writing for a few months only writing one shots and trying to get back my mojo.

It took several months and I had put out a couple chapters of one of my other stories. I figured I would concentrate on that story first and then tackle the other two, this being one of them. Well I am still trying to work out details of the ending of that particular story. So I have made a decision to write the other two stories first then come back to this one as soon as possible.

I know this was not a chapter and probably not allowed under the rules but I thought my readers deserved to know where this story was at in the process.

I will be back and I will make Zack and Harry happy again.

Thanks for reading.


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